A crack team of police officers have been deployed to the Manso area in the Ashanti Region to help arrest a group of armed robbers who shot and killed a police officer with the Special Weapon and Tactics Unit (SWAT).
The officers were onboard a Sprinter bus with registration AC-644-15 when the armed men attacked them at the outskirts of Ayirebikrom on Wednesday.
Lance Corporal Tieku was shot in the abdomen and was pronounced dead on arrival at Saint Martins Hospital at Agroyesum, while his colleague, Lance Corporal Nsiah was treated and discharged for shoulder injuries.
Four other passengers have since remained on admission.
The incident has demoralized police personnel in the region, especially immediate colleagues of the deceased person. Some of them wept uncontrollably.
It is not clear yet the motive for the attacks.
No arrests have been made but the police have already retrieved four AK 47 assault rifles including two seized from the police officers and two others believed to have been used for the operation- Pump Action guns, G3 and SMG assault rifles at Dome Beposo near Manso Nkwanta.
Other items retrieved include 7 boxes of ammunition with each box containing 25 rounds of ammunition, 88 pieces unspent AK 47 ammunition and clothes.
The items were retrieved in a bush around Dome Piposo, a suburb of the Ashanti Region.
DSP Juliana Obeng who speaks for the Ashanti regional police command said: “We have detailed men on stand-by at the Manso area not just particularly where the incident happened but of course a coverage so we are able to arrest these suspects to be able to deal with them”.
She recounted how hard the command has been hit by the incident.
“When we lose one of our own, I am short of words but it doesn’t come easy to us especially when the person is on a lawful duty. It really doesn’t come easy to us. If you were at the Regional command and especially the SWAT unit. It wasn’t pleasant at all but it is not just because it is one of our own but we see him as a Ghanaian and we need to move and get these suspects arrested.”
She says police will do everything possible to pursue and arrest the miscreants whose operations put lives of the people at risk.
The Amansie West District Security Committee in May this year expressed worry at the volatility of the criminal activities in the area.
the influx of people as a result of booming illegal mining activities has not only increased the rate of crime, including robbery but also increased illicit proliferation of arms.
At least, three robbery incidents involving large sums of money were recorded in the third week of May alone.
Chairman of the security committee, William Bediako Asante said the situation has claimed some lives as police struggle to contain the situation.
Source: myjoyonline.com
